# life: landing on a swinging perch: peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) prefer extremes.

<< Birds frequently must land safely and accurately on moving branches or power lines, and seemingly accomplish such maneuvers with acrobatic precision. To examine how birds target and land successfully on moving supports, (AA) investigated how peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) approach and land on a swinging perch.  >>️

<< In support of (AA) hypothesis for stable landings, lovebirds timed their landings in a majority of trials (51.3%), when the perch was approaching either extreme of its motion with its velocity nearing zero (27.5% in the same direction as the bird’s approach – SDs, and 23.8% in the opposite direction to the bird’s approach – ODs). As a result, lovebirds exhibited a robust bimodal strategy for timing their landing to the phase of the swinging perch. Less commonly, lovebirds landed when the perch was moving at high velocity either toward the bird’s approach (12.3%) or in the same direction as the bird’s approach (11.5%); with the remainder (21.9%) of trials distributed over a broad range of swing phases. >>️

Partha S Bhagavatula, Andrew A. Biewener. Landing on a swinging perch: peach-faced lovebirds prefer extremes. biorxiv.org. Oct 8, 2024.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.21.604435v2

Also: behav, birds, extreme, jazz, Mr. Jelly Roll Morton, in: https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html 

Keywords: life, birds, extreme,  behavior, behaviour, jazz, Mr. Jelly Roll Morton

# behav: the self-care hypothesis of the puteketeke bird (great crested grebe, Podiceps cristatus)

<< The Puteketeke bird has been elected as New Zealand's Bird of the Century after John Oliver promoted the bird not just on his show, but around the world. >>

<< It also exhibits some unusual antics, like eating feathers to help it vomit up parasites,  >> AILSA CHANG

️

<< They have a mating dance where they both grab a clump of wet grass and chest bump each other... >> JOHN OLIVER

Kat Lonsdorf, Christopher Intagliata. The Puteketeke bird has been elected as New Zealand's Bird of the Century. npr.org Nov 15, 2023. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1213287236/the-puteketeke-bird-has-been-elected-as-new-zealands-bird-of-the-century

L’uccello del secolo della Nuova Zelanda l’ha deciso John Oliver. ilpost.it. Nov 15, 2023. 

https://www.ilpost.it/2023/11/15/john-oliver-uccello-secolo-nuova-zelanda/

the bird: https://youtu.be/98ceB5SPRXI

John Oliver, an interview: https://youtu.be/uVE1hBzHn3s

many thanks to Tammi ( https://www.inkgmr.net/tammi ) for this news. 

Also: Self-perception of health and survival. A 10-year follow-up among Italians aged over sixty. INRCA, Technical Report, Genova, 7 March 1995: 1-19. Minerva Med 1997 Jan-Feb 88:1-2 15-23. [abst] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9093288/

Also: 'behav', 'perception', in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html

Keywords: behaviour, self-care, perceptions

# gst: a scenario in which System Theory meets Poetry, bird's-eye vistas into a primitive chaos

<< The notion of primitive chaos was proposed [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 79, 15002 (2010)] as a notion closely related to the fundamental problems of physics itself such as determinism, causality, free will, predictability, and irreversibility. In this letter, (AA) introduce the notion of bird's-eye view into the primitive chaos, and (they) find a new hierarchic structure of the primitive chaos. This means that if we find a chaos in a real phenomenon or a computer simulation, behind it, we can clearly realize the possibility of tremendous varieties of chaos in the hierarchic structure unless we can see them visually. >>

<< This fact provides a totally new method of viewing our world. >>️️

Yoshihito Ogasawara. Bird's-Eye View of Primitive Chaos. arXiv:2105.04796v2 [nlin.CD]. May 17, 2021. 

https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.04796

Also

Ludwig von Bertalanffy  (gst)  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_von_Bertalanffy

keyword 'caos' | 'caotico' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=caos

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=caotico

# life: apropos of tricks, 'torpor', a survival strategy not as rare as previously thought

<< Life is hard for small animals in the wild, but they have many solutions to the challenges of their environment. One of the most fascinating of these strategies is torpor. Not, to be confused with sleep or Sunday afternoon lethargy, torpor is a complex response to the costs of living. >>

<<  Once thought to occur only in birds and mammals in the Northern Hemisphere where winters are more pronounced, (AA) now know torpor is widespread in small Australian mammals, and has also been observed in many small Australian bird species. >>

<<  The question people often ask about torpor, is "can humans do it?" Interestingly, some small primates have been observed using torpor. While it is technically possible to induce torpor in humans chemically, torpor is a very complex physiological process, and there are many aspects of it scientists still don't fully understand. >>

Chris Wacker. Torpor: a neat survival trick once thought rare in Australian animals is actually widespread. The Conversation. Dec 29, 2020. 

https://theconversation.com/torpor-a-neat-survival-trick-once-thought-rare-in-australian-animals-is-actually-widespread-146409

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-torpor-neat-survival-thought-rare.html    

Also

Hrvatin S., Sun S., Wilcox OF et al. Neurons that regulate mouse torpor. Nature 583, 115–121. doi: 10.1038/ s41586-020-2387-5. Jun 11, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2387-5

Takahashi TM, Sunagawa GA, et al. A discrete neuronal circuit induces a hibernation-like state in rodents. Nature 583, 109–114. doi: 10.1038/ s41586-020-2163-6. Jun 11, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2163-6

# behav: a single gene can drive aggression (in wild songbird)

<< In 2014, the lab (Donna Maney lab) identified a hormone receptor—estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha)—that appeared connected to the differences in the sparrows' aggression and parenting behaviors in the wild. The white-striped birds express this receptor at much higher levels than the tan-striped birds, and the more the expression, the more aggressive the bird. >>

In the recent work << results showed that when expression of that one gene was blocked, the aggression of the white-striped birds went down so they behaved like the tan-striped ones. >>

Carol Clark. Study shows how a single gene drives aggression in wild songbird.  Emory University. Aug 18, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-gene-aggression-wild-songbird.html   

Jennifer R. Merritt, Kathleen E. Grogan, et al. A supergene-linked estrogen receptor drives alternative phenotypes in a polymorphic songbird. PNAS doi: 10.1073/ pnas.2011347117 Aug 17, 2020.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/14/2011347117

# life: perform very large flights without flapping (among Andean condors)

<< Andean condors, at 10kg or more, are among the world’s heaviest flying birds. Once birds get this big, the energetic costs of flapping are so high they instead rely on currents of rising air to travel long distances. >>

AA << results showed that on average, condors fly for three hours a day, but they flap for less than two minutes of this - just 1% of their flight time. One bird even flew for more than five hours without a single flap, covering 172km. Surprisingly, the amount they flapped hardly changed whether they were in the Andes or the steppe, or whether it was windy or not. >>

<< Nonetheless, even in weak thermal conditions, which may occur in winter, (their) results suggest condors may flap for only around two seconds per km. This remarkably low investment in flapping flight is on a par with albatrosses. In fact, albatrosses appear to flap more than condors – between (1% and 15% of their flight time outside take-off) >>

<< What is particularly striking about our findings is that all the birds we studied were immature. There was some suggestion that flight performance improved with age, but the demonstration that all birds flap so rarely shows that it is possible for even young condors to invest little energy in flying. >>

Emily Shepard. We tagged Andean condors to find out how huge birds fly without flapping. Jul 13, 2020. 

https://theconversation.com/we-tagged-andean-condors-to-find-out-how-huge-birds-fly-without-flapping-142472

H. J. Williams, E. L. C. Shepard, et al

 Physical limits of flight performance in the heaviest soaring bird.  PNAS. doi: 10.1073/ pnas.1907360117. Jul 13, 2020

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/07/09/1907360117

# evol: traces of weird evolution, ancient crocodiles walked on two legs, like dinosaurs

<< some species of ancient crocodiles walked on their two hind legs like dinosaurs and measured over three meters in length. >>

<< At one site, the footprints were initially thought to be made by a giant bipedal pterosaur walking on the mudflat, we now understand that these were bipedal crocodile prints, (..) "And while footprints were everywhere on the site, there were no handprints. (..) Dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk on their toes. Crocodiles walk on the flat of their feet leaving clear heel impressions, like humans do. >> Anthony Romilio.

Ancient crocodiles walked on two legs like dinosaurs. University of Queensland. Jun 11, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-ancient-crocodiles-legs-dinosaurs.html 

Kim, K.S., Lockley, M.G., et al. Trackway evidence for large bipedal crocodylomorphs from the Cretaceous of Korea. Sci Rep 10, 8680. doi: 10.1038/ s41598-020-66008-7. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66008-7

# lang: an 'esperanto' language among birds

<< animals with shared predators can eavesdrop on and respond to each other's calls, indicating that they can partly understand other species. >>

<< Many birds have specific alarm calls, warning others about a predator, (..) I was studying how a specific call of a small bird named the Japanese tit, Parus minor, evokes a visual image of the predator in their minds, in particular, a snake. >> Toshitaka Suzuki.

<< But he then observed that another bird, the coal tit or Periparus ater, also often approached the experimental area during these alarm calls. >>

<< I wondered if these other birds also mentally retrieve 'snake' images from these calls. While they are in the same taxonomic group their calls are otherwise vastly different. >> Toshitaka Suzuki.

How do birds understand 'foreign' calls? Kyoto University. May 19, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-birds-foreign.html   

Toshitaka N. Suzuki. Other Species’ Alarm Calls Evoke a Predator-Specific Search Image in Birds. Current Biology. doi: 10.1016/ j.cub.2020.04.062. May 14, 2020.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960982220305789

Also:

keyword 'bird' in FonT:

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bird

a special view:  

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-brain-question-is-humans-vs-parrots.html

# life: they used birds to think about and to predict the future.

<< People around the world and throughout history have used birds to think about and predict the future. >>

<< In the Kalahari, southern Africa, !Xõ hunters carefully watch the black-faced babblers after an antelope hunt for signs of where their wounded prey may be. >>

Felice Wyndham. How birds are used to reveal the future. Feb 26, 2020.

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-are-used-to-reveal-the-future-130844

Ethno-ornithology World Atlas

https://ewatlas.net/collection/birds-tell-people-things

Here are some examples ...

'journalists' birds ...

<< Hummingbirds can bring good or bad news. If someone flies nearby you have to say, "You're going to give me good news!" (It's a saying that comes from the Yshir).>>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ti%C3%ADnta-polytmus-guainumbi

'ecologist / protester' birds ...

<< If this bird sings at night it warns that white people will be deforesting soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/guidob%C3%B3-leptotila-verreauxi

'climatologist' birds ...

<< If one has a gócoco in the house, and the bird digs for a dust bath, it means that the cold weather is coming. It indicates that the weather will be a very rainy and very cloudy weather, but if it sings loud it is warning that the sun will soon rise. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/g%C3%B3coco-chunga-burmeisteri

<< When this bird approaches the Ayoreo village or if you see it in a dive, the noise of its wings warns that a lot of rain will come soon; maybe floods. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/jaac%C3%B3-cairina-moschata

<< This bird announces rain: if it sings in the morning it will rain in the afternoon - she cries because she does not want her nest to get wet. This bird needs high woods and leaves of trees to eat. She is a young lady and she likes young people and always accompanies people every day. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ngongo%C3%B3-crypturellus-undulatus

<< It may be a warning that if it burns there may be storms or strong winds. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/pi%C3%A1-vireo-olivaceus

<< It says "ti ti ti ti ti ti ti." Warn if the south wind that brings the cold will blow soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/totita-hemitriccus-margaritaceiventer-todirostrum-cinereum

Also

keyword 'bird' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bird

# lang: information management (encoding reliability) in bird communications (among wild redbreasted nuthatches, Sitta canadensis)

<< Every social network has its fake news. And in animal communication networks, even birds discern the trustworthiness of their neighbors, >>

<< This is the first time people have shown that nuthatches are paying attention to the source of information, and that influences the signal they produce and send along, (..) Everybody is listening to everybody else in the woods, >> Erick Greene.

Courtney Brockman. Researchers study how birds retweet news. University of Montana. Feb 14, 2020. 

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-birds-retweet-news.html

<< nuthatches discriminate between direct and indirect, or public information, and this is reflected in the acoustic structure of their alarm calls. >>

Nora V Carlson, Erick Greene,  Christopher N Templeton. Nuthatches vary their alarm calls based upon the source of the eavesdropped signals. 

Nat Commun 11, 526. Jan 27, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14414-w

Also

the question is: Humans vs Woodstock, who is the smarter? Jun 26, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-brain-question-is-humans-vs-parrots.html

keyword 'bird' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bird

# behav: how (and when) multiple bird species fly and feed together, like a K-pop band

<< Birds of a feather don't always flock together: Peer into a forest canopy, and you will likely spot multiple bird species flying and feeding together, a phenomenon most spectacular in the Amazon where 50 species may travel as a unit. But are birds in these mixed flocks cooperating with one another or competing?  A new study suggests both. >>

<< Species kept competition within the flock low, however, by differentiating their foraging technique, their choice of hunting spot or the general distance they kept from a tree trunk. >>

Natalie Van Hoose. How bird flocks with multiple species behave like K-pop groups. Florida Museum of Natural History.  Feb 12, 2020

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-bird-flocks-multiple-species-k-pop.html

Harrison H Jones, Mitchell J Walters, Scott K Robinson. Do similar foragers flock together? Nonbreeding foraging behavior and its impact on mixed-species flocking associations in a subtropical region.  The Auk, ukz079.  doi: 10.1093/auk/ukz079. Feb 12, 2020.

https://academic.oup.com/auk/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/auk/ukz079/5731484

k-pop band  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop

# evol: an irrefutable evidence that they rose from the dead by an 'iterative evolution' process

<< the last surviving flightless species of bird, a type of rail, in the Indian Ocean had previously gone extinct but rose from the dead thanks to a rare process called 'iterative evolution'. >>

<< This is the first time that iterative evolution (the repeated evolution of similar or parallel structures from the same ancestor but at different times) has been seen in rails and one of the most significant in bird records. >>

The bird that came back from the dead. University of Portsmouth. May 9, 2019.

https://m.phys.org/news/2019-05-bird-dead.html

<< Fossil evidence presented here is unique for Rallidae and epitomizes the ability of birds from this clade to successfully colonize isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions. >>

Julian P Hume, David Martill. Repeated evolution of flightlessness in Dryolimnas rails (Aves: Rallidae) after extinction and recolonization on Aldabra. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlz018.  doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz018. May 8, 2019.

https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz018/5487031

# evol: hanging by a rope off a cliff, the vibrant pigments of bird feathers to trace the mechanics of evolution

<< All organisms depend on input of exogenous compounds that cannot be internally produced. Gain and loss of such dependencies structure ecological communities and drive species’ evolution, yet the evolution of mechanisms that accommodate these variable dependencies remain elusive. (AA) show that historical cycles of gains and losses of external dependencies in avian carotenoid-producing networks are linked to their evolutionary diversification. >>

Alexander V. Badyaev, Alexander B. Posner, et al. Cycles of external dependency drive evolution of avian carotenoid networks. Nature Communications volume 10, Article number: 1596 Apr 8, 2019.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09579-y

<< Think about hanging by a rope off a cliff. With one rope, if it disappears, you die. If you have two and one fails, you get to live. But having a third safety rope allows enough stability that you can make something out of the first two - like a ladder - and thus take control of your trajectory while the stability lasts, >> Alexander Badyaev.

What the vibrant pigments of bird feathers can teach us about how evolution works. University of Arizona. Apr 24, 2019.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/uoa-wtv042419.php

# age: the first of five big report (800-page) on longevity by academic and industry ventures

<< The longevity field is bustling but still fragmented, and the “silver tsunami” is coming. >>

<< That is the takeaway of The Science of Longevity, the behemoth first volume of a four-part series offering a bird’s-eye view of the longevity industry in 2017. The report, a joint production of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, Deep Knowledge Life Science, Aging Analytics Agency, and Longevity.International, synthesizes the growing array of academic and industry ventures related to aging, healthspan, and everything in between. >>

Shelly Fan. We Read This 800-Page Report on the State of Longevity Research So You Don’t Have To. Feb 14, 2018.

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/14/we-read-this-800-page-report-on-longevity-research-so-you-dont-have-to/

Also

DrugAge Database of Anti-Ageing Drugs

http://genomics.senescence.info/drugs/

# behav: individual warning recognition among Jackdaws

<< Jackdaws recognise each other's voices and respond in greater numbers to warnings from familiar birds than strangers >>

AA << have discovered that each bird has a unique call, and the size of the mob depends on which bird calls the warning >>

University of Exeter. Angry birds: Size of jackdaw mobs depends on who calls warning. May 10, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-05-angry-birds-size-jackdaw-mobs.html

<< (..) so the identity of the initiator may determine the magnitude of the group response >>

Richard D. Woods, Michael Kings, et al. Caller characteristics influence recruitment to collective anti-predator events in jackdaws. Scientific Reports.  8 : 7343 (2018). doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25793-y

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-25793-y

FonT

quindi le taccole discriminano   l'individuo che lancia l'allarme, come per dare "un peso" alla veridicita' del segnale; se le taccole hanno una sorta di approccio analitico per la gestione del rumore legato al messaggio, significa che sanno gestire le "fake news" ... come gli umani, anzicheforse ...

# evol: the early bird Archaeopteryx was an incidental, short-distance, active flyer

<< The wing bones of Archaeopteryx were shaped for incidental active flight, but not for the advanced style of flying mastered by today's birds >>

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The early bird got to fly: Archaeopteryx was an active flyer. Mar 13, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-03-early-bird-archaeopteryx-flyer.html

AA << analyses reveal that the architecture of Archaeopteryx's wing bones consistently exhibits a combination of cross-sectional geometric properties uniquely shared with volant birds, particularly those occasionally utilising short-distance flapping >>

Dennis F. A. E. Voeten, Jorge Cubo, et al.  Wing bone geometry reveals active flight in Archaeopteryx. Nature Communications. 2018; 9 (923). doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03296-8.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03296-8  

# evol: they were even fluffier than previously thought

<< Anchiornis’ contour feathers revealed a newly-described, extinct, primitive feather form consisting of a short quill with long, independent, flexible barbs erupting from the quill at low angles to form two vanes and a forked feather shape >>

Feathered, Bird-Like Dinosaur Anchiornis Was Even Fluffier than We Thought. Nov 30, 2017

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/feathered-bird-like-dinosaur-anchiornis-05485.html

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-feathered-dinosaurs-fluffier-thought.html

Evan T. Saitta, Rebecca Gelernter, Jakob Vinther. Additional information on the primitive contour and wing feathering of paravian dinosaurs. Palaeontology.  doi: 10.1111/pala.12342. Nov 28, 2017.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12342/full

# gene-evol: behind interactions among organisms: causality more than just correlation

<< Organisms engage in extensive cross-species molecular dialog, yet the underlying molecular actors are known for only a few interactions >>

AA << developed an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping-based approach to identify cause-and-effect relationships between genes from two partners engaged in an interspecific interaction >>

Yuelong Guo, Sylwia Fudali, et al. Networks Underpinning Symbiosis Revealed Through Cross-Species eQTL Mapping. Genetics August 1, 2017 vol. 206 no. 4 2175-2184; https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.117.202531

http://www.genetics.org/content/206/4/2175

<< In a first-of-its-kind study, NC State researchers applied a new approach to examine how members of two different species – a plant and a pathogen, for example, or a bacterium and a human – interact at the molecular level, and whether slight genetic changes in one species could affect gene expression in the other >>

<< "We're really trying to get to the genetics behind the interactions between two different organisms," said David McK. Bird [..] "Genetics gives us causality more than just correlation." >>

Mick Kulikowski. Study examines cross-species interactions. Sept  12, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-09-cross-species-interactions.html

# s-lang: jazz session during a bird song

<< Music is thought to engage its listeners by driving feelings of surprise, tension, and relief through a dynamic mixture of predictable and unpredictable patterns, a property summarized (..) [by AA] as "expressiveness" >>

<< birds render their songs more expressive by subtly modifying note timing patterns, similar to musical operations like accelerando or ritardando >>

AA << findings bear consequences for neuronal models of vocal sequence generation in birds, as they require non-local rules to generate rhythm >>

Tina C Roeske, Damian Kelty-Stephen, Sebastian Wallot. Birds have swing: Multifractal analysis reveals expressive rhythm in birdsong. BioRxiv June 29, 2017 doi: 10.1101/157594

http://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/29/157594

<< A veery thrush, ready to join the band >>

Michael Le Page. Swinging birds play with rhythm like jazz musicians. July 14, 2017

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2140543-swinging-birds-play-with-rhythm-like-jazz-musicians/

Lang Elliott. Veery Thrush. June 1, 2010

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk

# s-behav: mimic the sound of musk hogs to avoid being eaten

<< Bird or beast? A cuckoo seems to have learned how to mimic the sounds made by the pig-like peccaries it lives alongside, perhaps to ward off predators >>

Sandrine Ceurstemont. Cuckoos mimic the sound of musk hogs to avoid being eaten. July 3, 2017.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2139386-cuckoos-mimic-the-sound-of-musk-hogs-to-avoid-being-eaten/

<< Acoustic communication is particularly important in environments such as dense tropical forests, where the dim light constrains the efficacy of visual signals >>

<< In these environments, complex species interactions could promote the evolution of acoustic signals and result in intriguing patterns of mimicry and convergence >>

AA << demonstrate that the acoustic characteristics of bill clacking in ground-cuckoos are more similar to teeth clacking of peccaries than to bill clacking of the more closely related Geococcyx roadrunner >>

Fabio Raposo do Amaral, Gabriel Macedo, et al. Bluffing in the forest: Neotropical Neomorphus ground-cuckoos and peccaries in a possible case of acoustic mimicry. J Avian Biol doi: 10.1111/jav.01266. June 29, 2017

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01266/full